March 1970 in Sports History...An Immortal Crash
Growing up in the 1970s in the United States, a staple of Saturday afternoon television for me was ABC's Wide World of Sports. The show actually debuted in 1961, with host Jim McKay, and regularly featured a presentation of one, or more, 'lesser-known' sports. Thinking now, I may be able to credit at least some part of my sports fandom - and in particular, my international sports fandom - to regularly watching it. The show often featured skiing, figure skating, tennis, and more global events.
But what really stands out to me in my memory is the show's intro, featuring the line, "the thrill of victory...and the agony of defeat", used to describe the drama of the upcoming sports content (check the video link at the bottom of this article). And, indelibly linked to the "agony of defeat" was the image of a ski jumper crashing down and off the hill.
Well, that ski jumper was Yugoslavian Vinko Bogataj, and the mishap was from a competition in Oberstdorf, West Germany in March of 1970. And luckily for sports television, ABC picked the footage as its go-to example of the potential disaster of sport.
Well, that ski jumper was Yugoslavian Vinko Bogataj, and the mishap was from a competition in Oberstdorf, West Germany in March of 1970. And luckily for sports television, ABC picked the footage as its go-to example of the potential disaster of sport.
Bogataj, interviewed years later, hadn't initially realized his would-be viral fame in the U.S. He had suffered a concussion and an ankle injury in the accident, but returned to competition a couple of months afterward. At the show's 20th anniversary event in New York, Bogataj began to sense his surprising place in sports history when boxing legend Muhammad Ali asked him for an autograph.
Eventually a painter, Bogataj the ski jumper may not have won that 1970 competition, but he did earn a memorable place in sports history cherished by legions of sports fans. Wide World of Sports, with its Bogataj clip in use to its end, finished in 1998. That image of 'defeat' is immediately what I remember most of the show.
Oberstdorf remains a prominent ski jumping and flying competitive destination.
Eventually a painter, Bogataj the ski jumper may not have won that 1970 competition, but he did earn a memorable place in sports history cherished by legions of sports fans. Wide World of Sports, with its Bogataj clip in use to its end, finished in 1998. That image of 'defeat' is immediately what I remember most of the show.
Oberstdorf remains a prominent ski jumping and flying competitive destination.
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